Coming to America…from the United Kingdom

by Emily Robinson

I was ten years old when my parents sat my sister Abi and me down at the table and told us the big news – my father had accepted a job in the United States (US). I couldn’t understand why they wanted to leave the beautiful coast of England, United Kingdom (UK). Our house was on the top of the vast, edgy cliffs. Every morning, I would wake up and see the waves glistening in the sunlight like glitter hitting the water. We had been living in Lee Abbey, Devon for five years and I wasn’t at all ready for change, especially living in an entirely new country. Abi, who was eight at the time, was not even aware of where the US was located. My dad pulled out a map of the US to compare where it was to the UK, and Abi burst into tears. I also felt nervous, yet I had a hint of excitement about beginning a new life somewhere else.

As the years in the US went by, I never truly felt homesick. That was until I had an aching pain to go home when the pandemic arose in 2020. All I wanted to do was be able to travel back to my home country and be comforted by loved ones. It wasn’t until 2023 that my family and I were permitted to travel back to the shores of England to see our family. With restrictions released and safety protocols lifted, my family jumped on a plane, excited to travel back to the United Kingdom to see our family.

Once we touched down on UK soil that May, everything was how I remembered it. We greeted our grandparents and cousins and hugged them tightly. We had many eventful days out and spent a great deal of time with each other. As the days flew by on our trip, I began to miss my friends and life back in the US. Arriving back in England made me realize how long it had been since I lived there. However, it was strange to see how my extended family moved on without us being there. Everyone was getting older, and I had little idea what my cousins were up to. I couldn’t imagine myself moving back to England and starting a new life again. I wanted it to be in the States. I then realized although an immense part of me belongs to my English heritage, this was not the country I wanted to build a future in. As I observe my life in this new country, I realize a part of my heart will always belong to my birth country, but my eagerness to stay and build a future in North America has grown. I’m excited about what God has in store for me. I truly feel at home.

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Emily was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. She is currently a high school senior taking full-time PSEO classes. She is a member of the Rochester figure skating club and enjoys singing in the RAACHE choir. After high school, she plans to attend RCTC where she will apply to the dental assistant program or nursing program.